Polygon facts for kids

Some polygons of different kinds: open (excluding its boundary), boundary only (excluding interior), closed (including both boundary and interior), and self-intersecting.

A polygon is a closed two-dimensional shape. It is also a simple curve that is made up of line segments. It usually has three sides/corners or more. It could also be referred to as 'A closed plane figure bound by three or more line segments'. It has a number of edges. These edges are connected by lines. A square is a polygon because it has four sides. The smallest possible polygon in a Euclidean geometry or "flat geometry" is the triangle, but on a sphere, there can be a digon. The monogon is a theoretical figure that cannot exist - it has only one side and one edge.

If the edges (lines of the polygon) do not intersect (cross each other), the polygon is called simple, otherwise it is complex.

In computer graphics, polygons (especially triangles) are often used to make graphics.

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  A simple concave hexagon

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  A complex pentagon

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  How to make a face using polygons

Images for kids

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  Historical image of polygons (1699)

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  The Giant's Causeway, in Northern Ireland

See also

In Spanish: Polígono para niños